i'm considering cutting my hair.

i've had long hair basically all my life. i keep it in a braid, but i have no doubt there has been times when i've been singled out by law enforcement because of my appearance.
i also keep a neatly trimmed beard.
would it be a safe assumption to think that i may draw less attention if i conformed to society and cleaned up my looks?
at 47, i'm not completely convinced it would make a huge difference.
it's not like i have a tattoo of a swastica on my forehead.
have any of you changed your appearance and noticed a difference?
can i expect anything in particular.
i've always had the basic"to hell with them' attitude, but at this point i'm wondering if it would be better to just blend in.
opinions?

reply to post by rubbertramp


Ha ha
Had long thick curly hair, women loved it, I hated it, it had a mind of its own.
Started to slowly lose it (got horns)
I could change my look easily with hair changes and facial hair and ya it makes a big difference. Your friends not so much but others ya.
I shaved my head and my beard, love it. Did it on a whim, was cutting it short at the time anyways.
Totally different look, old friends don’t recognise me right away and I like the way others deal with me.
(I don’t look like a bad ass or anything)
Will never grow hair on my head again but do the beard and goat sometimes but usually clean all the way

My husband did years ago. Once it grew back out he never cut it short again. It's just not him not to have really long hair. Yes, sadly, you do get treated differently because of appearance.

reply to post by rubbertramp


I have had long hair most of my life as well, but I have cut it twice in the last 5 years. The first time I did not cut it very short, but the last time I cut it pretty short. When I cut my hair this is what happened.

1. People stopped thinking I was a girl from behind (what can I say I have nice hair and a nice figure )
2. I had more women flirt with me
3. I could eat soup again without eating my own hair (rarely put it up in a ponytail)
4. Quicker hair drying time
5. Did not have girls wanting to put my hair in pigtails anymore.
6. Older people gave me more respect.

Thats about all that happened, since then I have grown it out again (because I'm losing it slowly but surely). I have never been harassed by the police because of the way I look, than again I live in LA so there are a lot of long haired hippie looking people around, and the cops here are more concerned with the latest murder than what I'm doing with my long hair walking down the street. Not saying it doesn't happen, probably happens in the south all the time.

reply to post by rubbertramp


Cut it cos yes it will make a huge difference to how people interact with you.

First impressions count.

I cut my locks a long time ago and noticed the behavioral changes around me, then i put on a suit and suddenly i'm treated like a human being with politeness and courtesy.

Do you really want to be treated like an unwashed hippie all your life ?

Do it.

Cosmic..

oh well, got dumped into chit chat.
i truly thought that this was a good thread for social issues.
how we are treated according to our apperence seems to fit.

I had long hair down to my waist for years. Yes, it did cause me problems. I finally did cut it, and I have to tell you. I wish I'd done it years ago. Appearance issues notwithstanding the fact that I suddenly had no hassles, no tangles, no problems was really liberating! I threw away my hairbrush and put up my hair dryer as a useless appliance. Ironically, I suppose I grew long hair originally as a kind of "freedom loving" statement, yet very short haor gave me a freedom I never knew existed. Well worth cutting, IMO.

reply to post by rubbertramp


Personally, I think the best looking men have neatly kempt facial hair and longer hair. But that's just me, I suppose.

Well, it did me a few favours. I had pretty long hair, but cut it in a Jim Halpert kinda fashion, and it helped with Job interviews and general well keeping. But don't change your hair just to conform, if it suits you, and you look, for lack of a better word, cool, just keep with it.

one reason i never have is that i've basically always been self employed.
i could see why keeping it short would help with a job.

reply to post by rubbertramp


keep it long if you want it, or cut it, do what you feel like. Why change yourself for other peoples expectations.

i had long hair for most of my life too. one day i woke up and shaved my head and it's been that way since. i feel like a warrior

Conformity can be handy at times. It's also kind of cool to experience the world a little differently with a new 'style' i.e. the different type of women I attract with either the shaggy or the streamlined look.

Go for it. It is almost guaranteed to be an interesting experiment.

me and needles don't get along, so i have no tattoos, but does anyone have experience with
attitude towards them becuase of tattoos?
what else comes to mind considering the perception of others towards you?

Originally posted by Cosmic4life
reply to post by rubbertramp

 

Cut it cos yes it will make a huge difference to how people interact with you.

First impressions count.

I cut my locks a long time ago and noticed the behavioral changes around me, then i put on a suit and suddenly i'm treated like a human being with politeness and courtesy.

Do you really want to be treated like an unwashed hippie all your life ?

Do it.

Cosmic..

edit on 13-12-2011 by Cosmic4life because: (no reason given)

Yuk! I have long hair and will not cut it. I have never been broke with long hair.--------------------

Originally posted by wonhunlo

Originally posted by Cosmic4life
reply to post by rubbertramp

 

Cut it cos yes it will make a huge difference to how people interact with you.

First impressions count.

I cut my locks a long time ago and noticed the behavioral changes around me, then i put on a suit and suddenly i'm treated like a human being with politeness and courtesy.

Do you really want to be treated like an unwashed hippie all your life ?

Do it.

Cosmic..

edit on 13-12-2011 by Cosmic4life because: (no reason given)

Yuk! I have long hair and will not cut it. I have never been broke with long hair.--------------------

then i put on a suit and suddenly i'm treated like a human being with politeness and courtesy.

something about this quote scares me.
last time i wore a suit was gramp's funeral 25 years ago.

Originally posted by rubbertramp
me and needles don't get along, so i have no tattoos, but does anyone have experience with
attitude towards them becuase of tattoos?
what else comes to mind considering the perception of others towards you?

Well....

i have long hair, usually well kept, and tied up then folded (i dunno if u'd no what i mean)

i have a beard that goes from long to short depending on mood/engagements like weddings etc,

i have tattoo's shin, leg, calf back and arms, none overly in site (i also hate needles more than i could ever explain, getting a tatoo is much more like a scratchy brush than a needle)

i dont overly feel people treat me diffrently, it suits me, when i go to interviews (or out somwhere nice) i wear suits, i have a few in diffrent colours, (three piece of course i need somewhere to put my pocket watches) i wear shirts and ties, cravats, cufflinks you get the idea

i wear hats, nice shoes, i have canes, i now sound like a lunatic but what im getting at is you can dress properly and still be treated like a human, even with a beard long hair and tattoo's

its more about confidence, attitude and the way you hold yourself in coversation!



Just thought i'd throw my thoughts in about it.

reply to post by rubbertramp


DO IT MAN!

My hair was down to my waist in highschool...

Got it chopped off after a crazy party a few years later... looking back, it was a pain in the ass. I used to roll over it in my sleep... and brushing/combing it... :bnghd:

Now its short and it takes me 20 second to style it... done.

Ladies like it better too bro... very few women like long hair on a guy i find...

It isn't the 80s anymore